Shade-cutting device.



UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE.

FRED W. HUBBARD AND THOMAS A. MORTON, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

SHADE-CUTTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 11, 1907.

Application filed December 28, 1906. Serial No. 349,789.

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRED W. HUBBARD and THOMAS A. MORTON, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Columbus, in the 5 county of Franklin andState of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inShade-Cutting Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to a shade cutting device to be used in cuttingrolled window shades and the like to a desired length, and differsessentially from similar devices now in use in that we dispense withroller supports for the shade, and provide a construction which iseffective and satisfactory in use.

The exact nature of our device will hereinafter be fully set forth.

Referring to the drawings which are filed herewith and made a partofthis application, Figure 1 is a top plan view of our improved shadecutting device; Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; Fig. 3 is a view ofthe end to which the knife is attached; Fig. 4 is a view of the oppositeend of the device.

In the accompanying drawings, in which the same numeral indicates thesame part throughout, 1 is the base of our device which is preferablyconstructed in two parts as clearly appears in the end views in Figs. 3and 4; these parts are separated throughout their length, and each alongits inner edge is provided with a longitudinal groove, the separationand the groove being provided for a purpose hereinafter explained. Alongthe inner edge of each part of the base is secured a shade support, twoof which are provided,

2 and 3; each support is permanently attached to its base portion andrises above it to the height desired. These supports are parallel witheach other and at their upper sides are rounded to adapt them to thecurvature of the rolled shade. They are positioned at suflicientdistances from each other to admit longitudinally between their uppercurved faces an ordinary shade.

Inasmuch as the shade when being out must be rotated beneath the knife,fixed shade supports as described herein would not be very satisfactoryfor the reason that no opportunity is afforded for giving the shade aperiodical rotary movement, and to accomplish this purpose we cut outeach shade sup port as indicated at 4 and 5 at a desired point to giveaccess to the hand of the operator.

In manipulating the shade after it has been placed upon the supports,the hand of the opvertically upon the strip 12. not only determines thelimit of movement erator is placed thereon and the shade is standard 6having the depression 7 therein formed on the are of a circle, and asshown in Fig. 4 the degree of curvature of the depression 7 coincideswith the curvature of the inner portions of the upper faces of thesupports, so that if a rolled shade be laid upon the supports so that itwill extend into the depression 7, it will be found that the shade 'willlie snugly therein, being in contact with the depression 7 throughoutthe lower half of its circumference, and at the same time being incontact with the supports 2 and 3 throughout its length. At the oppositeend of the base is a standard 8 having the depression 9 constructed in asimilar manner for the purpose of receiving the shade as just describedfor the depression 7 of the standard 6; so that when a shade is properlypositioned upon the supports and the standards it will be found to be incontact with the depression in each of the standards and also with thesupports, and, owing to the curved faces of the supports and the curveddepressions in the standards, it will be easy to give the shade arolling motion as desired.)

Secured upon the standard 8 at one side thereof is the knife 11 pivotedat 10 and provided at its other end with the handle 11; the knife isadapted to be operated vertically and the extent of its movement islimited by the guide 12, which, as appears in Fig. 2 is preferablyconstructed of a strip of material secured at its lower end to thestandard 8 and bent outwardly and at its upper end doubled back uponitselfas appears in Fig. 2 to leave a space between, within which theknife may move freely. The limit of the upward movement of the knife isdetermined by the bend or fold in the strip 12, and the downwardmovement is limited by the set screw 14, which is adapted to be adjustedThis device of the knife vertically but also prevents the knife fromdeveloping a lateral swing, which would be highly objectionable.

The space left between the two portions of the base 1. is adapted to beoccupied by a sliding gage 16, which is provided with the tongues 17 and18, for the purpose ofengaging the grooves described above; whichgrooves are clearly seen in Figs. 3 and 4;

the gage contains a scale 24; near one endof of the shade roller; thisopening is made large enough to receive the roller upon the ordinaryshade, and deep enough to permit the roller to penetrate the same untilthe end of the rolled shade portion abuts against the standard adjacentthe opening 22. As rolled shades are placed on the market, they arewrapped with a covering and when sent out from the factories are usuallycompactly rolled, and the edges of the different layers of the roll arewell alined in shipment how ever, the roll loosens perceptibly and theouter layers will be more or less distorted.

When the shade is cut the greatest care must be taken to have thefreshly cut edge straight, and it is apparent that this could not beaccomplished unless the edges of the folds of the shade are firstproperly alined. This can be done in our device by inserting the rollerinto the opening 22, which will bring the edges of one end of the rolledshade squarely against the face of the standard 21 now if the operatorgrasps the shade and with a reciprocating motion forces the same severaltimes against the face of the standard the edges of the shade will beproperly alined, whereupon the cutting may proceed with assurance ofleaving the freshly cut edge perfectly straight.

The shade is not at all supported by the standard 21, its entire weightand the pressure exerted thereon by the operator in manipulating thesame beneath the knife being carried by the supports 2 and 3 and thestandards 6 and 8. The opening 22 in the standard 21 is locatedcentrally with respect to the circular depressions 7 and 9 and the linesof contact of the shade with the supports 2 and 3, and-when the shaderoller is positioned in the opening 22 it is rendered more easy toretain the shade in proper position for cutting. The gage having beenmoved to the desired point for cutting the shade at the proper lengthand having been fixed at that point by the pivoted clamp device 20, theoperator will, in manipulating the shade, maintain a constant stressthereon downwardly and in the direction of the standard 21 to maintain aclose engagement of the edge of the rolled shade with the face of thestandard surrounding the opening 22 therein, whereby it is assured thatthe cut will be uniformly made at the desired point. It is readily seenthat if no stop were provided. for the shade at one end, it would bedifficult to maintain the proper point of the shade beneath the knife,as there would be a constant tendency to slip either backwardly orforwardly in the supports.

From the foregoing description it will appear that we provide a shadecutting device which dispenses with the use of rollers, and is thereforemore easily constructed; we further provide supports for said shade atthe sides thereof and also adjacent the ends, said supporting facesbeing curved so that the shade rotates very readily thereon we furtherprovide the cut-outs in the lateral supports as indicated at 4: and 5for the reception of the hand of the operator when holding the shade inproper position and turning the same beneath the knife.

In our device the friction between the shade and its support is reducedto a minimum by providing that the shade throughout almost its entirelength is in contact with the lateral supports 2 and 3 along the linesformed by the contact of the curves formed by the upper faces of thesupports and the circular shade, and near the ends thereof the shaderests in the narrow troughs 7 and 9 through very small portions of itslength.

Our device is much more easily constructed than those involving the useof rollers, and does not contain parts which are likely to get out oforder in use.

Having described our invent-ion, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shade cutting device having a base, parallel supports fixed rigidlythereon for supporting a shade upon their upper faces, and havingdepressions therein to receive the hand of the operator when graspingthe shade to manipulate the same, the upper faces of said rigid supportsbeing curved op- I positely from the curve of the shade, standardsadjacent the ends of the supports having depressions therein to fit thecurve of the shade, a gage, a pivoted knife adjacent one end of saidsupports, and adjustable means for limiting the vertical swing of saidknife.

2. A shade cutting device having a base, non-rotatable supports mountedthereon to receive a shade upon their upper faces, and havingdepressions therein to receive the hand of the operator for grasping theshade in manipulating the same, the upper faces of said supports beingcurved oppositely from the curve of the shade, standards adjacenttheends of the supports having depressions therein to receive the shadeand being curved to fit the same, an adjustable gage, a standard thereonhaving an opening therein to receive an end of the shade roller, topermit the adjacent edges of the rolled shade to abut against saidstandard adjacent said opening whereby the folds of said edge may beproperly alined, and a knife pivoted adjacent one end of said supportsfor cutting said shade.

In testimony whereof We aflix our signatures in the presence of twowltnesses.

FRED WV. HUBBARD. THOMAS A. MORTON.

Witnesses.

A. RAGER, HoRAoE S. KERR.

